Taschereau's duties will include assisting Rival senior talent buyer Lucy Lawler and working with Brandon Mize, talent buyer for the Vinyl concert room located within the EarthLink Live complex in Atlanta.

Rival has quickly become a player in the Southeast concert scene since forming earlier this year, revitalizing the venerable Atlanta venue EarthLink Live and promoting such shows as the Pixies in Atlanta and Birmingham, Ala., and the Beastie Boys at the Arena at Gwinnett Center near Atlanta. All were co-promotes with AEG Live.

Rival also produced its first major outdoor festival, Soulfest 2004, at Turner Field in Atlanta.

Tashereau had been with Mad for four years. "I think bringing in Tania is a continuation of what we're trying to do at Rival," says Tom Cook, senior partner at Rival Entertainment and owner of EarthLink Live. "Our ultimate goal is to continue to grow. Obviously, we're excited about going into various parts of the Southeast, but our core business is EarthLink Live and larger venues in the metro Atlanta area."

Meanwhile, Rival has expanded the EarthLink Live complex, which is located in the heart of midtown in Atlanta. The 300-capacity Vinyl room is being moved to a new 10,000-square-foot space within the complex that can be used for 600-person shows. The new room is expected to open at the end of January.